IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine men's basketball team had to work overtime on Senior Night, but their Saturday victory over Chaminade was well worth the wait.

The Eagles (22-8, 18-3 PacWest) clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming PacWest Conference Tournament with a climactic 91-83 overtime victory over the Silverswords. In the process, CUI also earned a chance at tying Point Loma for the regular season conference title with their second showdown coming up in less than a week.  

The Eagles led the Silverswords (20-6, 14-6 PacWest) by three in the final minute of regulation before Chaminade scoring sensation Grant Dressler nailed a difficult three-point shot to tie it up at 76.  CUI called timeout and had a chance to win it, but the Eagles could not get the right look to fall and then prepared for overtime.

In the extra period, Cameron English soared in to the paint for a huge put back on the offensive glass to give CUI a brief two-point lead.  Then on the defensive end, a chaotic scramble for the ball wound up resulting in another turnover for the Silverswords and Brian Chambers was able to convert a layup.  A couple dribbles later, Kyle Gray stepped up and nailed a clutch trey that pushed the CUI lead to 83-78 and sent the student section into a frenzy.

After that, Chambers hit eight straight free throws and the Eagles were able to maintain control of the lead the rest of the way. 

Chambers finished with 29 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. The Long Beach, Calif. native also hit all 14 of his free throw attempts. Fellow seniors Geoff Gerlach and Tyler Lacour each added a dozen points as well in their final victory on their home floor.

"All three seniors are great people and they care so much about the program," said Eagles head coach Ken Ammann. "It's really hard to replace that."

"We just wanted to protect our home court," said Chambers. "We were undefeated here in conference play and it really showed. Kyle came up with big shots, Tyler hit some big buckets, it all carried over for a big win. I loved the atmosphere, I love this place and it's going to be sad for me to leave. I'm so happy I came here."

The Eagles put the finishing touches on an impressive 12-1 home record this season.  That mark includes a perfect 11-0 mark against PacWest conference opponents at CU Arena. It's the best home record posted by a CUI men's basketball team since the 2010-2011 season, when head coach Ken Ammann's Eagles went 17-0 at home.

"It's been awhile since we've been undefeated in conference play at home," added Ammann. "It's a really good league and a great accomplishment for this group."

Fans were treated to a great contest that featured 27 lead changes. Many in attendance were decked in white as part of the evening's "White-Out" promotion.

"The fans getting behind us, it was huge," admitted Gerlach. "They helped us out so much and it feels incredible to get that win. Going undefeated at home in conference is a great achievement that we shouldn't take lightly."

The Green and Gold have now won six straight contests overall heading into the rematch with Point Loma.  The first-place Sea Lions will host the Eagles on Saturday, March 2 at 4 p.m. and if CUI emerges victorious down in San Diego, the two teams will share the PacWest crown. In that scenario, CUI will be the top seed out of the six squads that make the PacWest Conference Tournament.

"We put ourselves in a good position before tonight and this was a much-needed game for a lot of reasons," said Ammann. "A lot of good opportunities ahead and it's going to be very difficult, but we're excited."

For the full CUI men's basketball schedule, click here.